Window seal tape or strip

ABSTRACT

A U-shaped soft, resilient sealing tape or strip for mounting on the edge of auto door glass for cooperation with a sealing strip of similar or different material mounted as a molding in a door opening to prevent whistling noise caused by air when the vehicle is in motion and to avoid entry of rainwater. The door glass sealing tape or strip is U-shaped in transverse cross section, with a thick base portion and relatively thin legs. The surface of the groove in the strip is coated with pressure sensitive adhesive overlaid with a removable, protective strip of paper. The door glass sealing strip can also be applied to the edge of the door to prevent paint chipping or other damage and to also serve as a seal.

United States Patent Kellos Feb. 15, 1972 [54] WINDOW SEAL TAPE OR STRIP 3,206,246 9/1965 Williams ..49/490 X 3,383,823 5/1968 Bono, Jr.... [72] Invent Augusmi 3,461 ,61 1 8/1969 Axe ..49/483 22 Filed; 27, 970 Primary ExaminerReinald0 P. Machado Assistant Examiner-Philip C. Kannan 1 PP N05 15,044 Att0rneyBacon & Thomas [52 1 us. CL ..49/462, 49/488, 49/490, [57] ABSTRACT 52/716 A U-shaped soft, resilient sealing tape or strip for mounting on [51 1 1111. (ll. ..B60r 13/02, B60r 13/04 the edge of auto door glass for cooperation with a sealing strip [58] Field of Search ..49/462, 475, 483, 490, 488, of similar or different material mounted as a molding in a door 49/489; 52/716, 717, 718, 627; 161/100 opening to prevent whistling noise caused by air when the vehicle is in motion and to avoid entry of rainwater. The door 56 References Cited glass sealing tape or strip is U-shaped in transverse cross section, with a thick base portion and relatively thin legs. The sur- UNITED STATES PATENTS face of the groove in the strip is coated with pressure sensitive adhesive overlaid with a removable, protective strip of paper. Green X 'r e door glass Sea ng ip can also be to the g o 1,763,522 7/1930 Hood ..49/489 the door to prevent paint chipping or other damage and to also 2,121,826 6/1938 Roberts. Serve as aSeaL 2,739,358 3/1956 Kunkel 3,198,689 8/1965 Lansing 5 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PAIENIEBFEB 15 I972 PRIOR HET WINDOW SEAL TAPE OR STRIP FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sealing strip or tape particularly useful for providing an airtight seal for automobile windows, doors, and the like, and particularly adapted for use with a molding strip of similar material mounted in a door opening, both strips being soft and resilient and of substantially uniform density throughout, so that they mutually conform to any irregularities in each other to thereby prevent air whistling and other noises and avoid entry of rainwater.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Heretofore, and at the present time, it is common practice in the automotive industry to construct motor vehicles in which the door glass directly contacts a sealing strip in the form of a molding mounted along the edge of the door opening. This type of construction is often unsatisfactory for the reason that the molding strip is usually made of solid rubber that is difficult to displace when contacted by the edge of the window glass so that, even when new, an airtight seal is frequently not effected, resulting in whistling air noises at moderate or high-vehicle speeds and leakage during rainstorms, particularly when high winds are directed sidewise against the vehicle. This construction also is subject to the objection that, as the molding strip dries out and hardens or otherwise deteriorates with age, thesealing problem becomes aggravated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the foregoing objections by utilizing two, soft, resilient sealing strips, one of which is applied directly to the edge of the door glass and the other as a molding on the edge of the door opening in the vehicle body. Both strips are preferably made of rubber, rubberlike, or plastic material molded or extruded into a U-shape and provided with a pressure sensitive coating. The glass sealing strip has the adhesive applied on the walls of the groove so that the strip will readily adhere to the edge of the glass, The base of the U-shaped strip is relatively thick in order to provide ample material that can be displaced, as required, along its edge to conform with any irregularities in the molding sealing strip applied to the window opening. The molding strip has adhesive on its edges which contact a metal retaining strip. The pressure sensitive areas of both sealing strips are protected prior to use by a readily removable layer of paper or other suitable material that can be peeled offjust prior to mounting the strips in place.

The U-shaped window glass sealing strip can be collapsed to a flat condition and wound on a spool or reel, the strip automatically resuming a U-shaped configuration upon unwinding from the spool. Both sealing strips can also be wound in spiral coil form, or be precut to size to fit a given width of glass or door opening. The present glass sealing strip is particularly adapted to installation on door glass of vehicles of the type wherein the edge of the glass is intended to directly contact the molding strip around the window opening. This strip is preferably made of transparent material, utilizing a minimum amount of material, so that the strip is quite narrow and inconspicuous when in use. The maximum of satisfaction is obtained by factory installation of the sealing strip on the windows of new vehicles, in conjunction with the installation of a molding strip of similar material around the window opening. With such construction, the two, soft, resilient sealing strips cooperate to provide a joint that is absolutely air and watertight. The glass sealing strip can also be applied to door glass of older vehicles for cooperation with a conventional door opening sealing strip, since the glass sealing strip is of such cross-sectional configuration, softness, and pliability that it will readily conform to irregularities in hardened or partially deteriorated window opening sealing strips.

In addition, the window glass sealing strip can be used by itself as a guard for the edge of the door in lieu of more expensive metal strips now being used, which, while they protect the door to which they are attached, frequently damage the paint finish on an adjacent vehicle against which they strike as the door is opened.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a sealing tape or strip for use on automobile door windows and the like that will form a tight seal and eliminate whistling and other wind noises, and avoid leakage such as form in many prior structures.

Another object is to provide a window glass sealing tape or strip that can be manufactured at low cost and sold either in coil form or flattened and wound on a reel, so that it can be conveniently shipped and stored, or alternatively, precut to size and sold in strip form for mounting upon the edge of door glass of a given width.

Another object is to provide a window glass sealing strip that is of minimum vertical height and made of transparent plastic, so that it will be inconspicuous when applied to the edge of the glass.

Still another object is to provide a soft, resilient, self-adher' ing sealing strip for auto window glass that can also be used as a guard for the edge of a vehicle door.

A further object is to provide a seal construction for vehicle windows comprising two cooperating sealing strips one attached to the edge of the glass and the other attached to the door opening, that are sufficiently yieldable and resilient so that each can conform to any surface irregularity that may be present in the other and thereby provide an airtight seal.

A still further object is to provide a window glass sealing strip that can be applied to old as well as new vehicles to overcome the problem of air noise and rain leakage.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating a prior art construction in which the upper edge of the door glass directly engages a molding sealing strip mounted in a window opening;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a coil of the present door glass sealing strip;

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged transverse sectional view through the door glass sealing strip, taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the sealing strip compressed to a flat condition and wound on a reel;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the window sealing strip mounted upon the edge ofa door glass;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view ofa vehicle having a door window to which the sealing strip has been applied;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6, illustrating the door glass sealing strip in cooperation with a soft, resilient molding sealing strip on the door frame, with both sealing strips shown slightly compressed so that they tightly engage each other and provide an airtight seal;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but illustrates a modified embodiment of the door glass sealing strip, including a hollow base portion enabling the sealing strip to be more readily displaced, as required, to tightly contact the molding sealing strip on the window frame;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the invention, particularly for use with prior art door opening sealing strips, and having an enlarged edge portion to provide additional displaceable material for assuring a tight seal;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view showing the sealing strip of FIGS. 1 to 4 applied to the edge of a vehicle door; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on the line I 1- ll of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional prior art structure wherein a car door window glass 2 has an upper edge 4 adapted to contact a molding sealing strip 6 mounted in a metal retainer 8 permanently secured in a door opening 10 in a vehicle body. In this type of construction, the sealing strip 6 is initially relatively hard, or becomes so with age, and irregularities in the surface thereof confronting the upper edge 4 of the window glass 2, permit air to enter and cause whistling and other objectionable noises while the vehicle is in motion, particularly at high speeds. These surface irregularities also are frequently sufficiently large to allow rain to get past the sealing strip 6 into the vehicle, which is most objectionable.

H08. 2, 3, and 4 illustrate a window glass-sealing strip 12 constituting one embodiment of the present invention and wherein it will be noted that the transverse cross-sectional configuration of the strip is generally U-shaped with a thick, substantially semicircular base portion 14, and relatively thin legs 16, the maximum height of the U being preferably about one-quarter to five-sixteenths of an inch, so as to be inconspicuous in use. The depth of the groove 18 in the sealing strip 12 is about one-eighth of an inch and its width is equal to the thickness of conventional auto window glass, which is about three-sixteenths to one-quarter of an inch. The groove 18 has an arcuate bottom surface 180 corresponding to the crowned edge of the glass 20. The entire area of the wall surface of the groove 18 is covered with pressure sensitive adhesive 22 overlaid by a removable strip of paper or other material 24. FIG. 3, shows, in dot-and-dash lines, a portion of the strip 24 peeled away from the adhesive 22. It will be understood that the bottom wall of the groove 18 can be made flat, instead of rounded, if desired, as shown in FIG. 9. However, due to the resiliency and flexibility of the material from which the strip 12 is made, the groove 18 will readily conform to a relatively flat, or crowned upper edge of the window glass, as shown in FIG. 5, wherein the strip 12 is shown mounted upon the upper edge 21 ofa window glass 20.

It will be understood that the sealing strip 12 can be easily and cheaply made by an extrusion machine, and that the pressure sensitive coating 22 and the protecting strip 24 can be applied after the strip leaves the extruder. For convenience in handling, the sealing strip 12, due to its great flexibility, can be wound into spiral coil form as illustrated in F IG. 2, and packaged in a suitable container, which may be of the dispensing type. Alternatively, the sealing strip 12 can be distorted to a flat condition with the inner surface of the legs 16 and the bottom wall 18a in a common plane, as illustrated in FIG. 4, and wound upon a reel or spool 25 for easy handling and shipment, as well as for convenience in dispensing and application at the place of installation.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the window glass and the sealing strip 12 are shown under conditions of actual use in a vehicle 26 having a door opening 28 with a retaining channel 30 mounted within the opening. A molding strip of sealing material 32 is mounted in the channel 30 and is of the same character as the material comprising the sealing strip 12. The surfaces of the strip 32 engaged with the channel 30 are precoated with pressure sensitive adhesive 33, a protective strip having been removed and not being shown. Thus, two resilient and yieldable strips 12 and 32 are brought into intimate contact, the strips being sufficiently soft so that either can yield to conform with any surface irregularities in the other, to thereby provide an airtight and waterproof joint between the window glass 22 and the window opening 28. As will be seen from FIG. 7, the base portion 14 of the sealing strip 12 has been compressed and its sides distorted, indicating the pressure engagement which is effected between the two sealing strips l2 and 32. Also, the sealing strip 32 is slightly compressed as a result of the pressure engagement therewith of the window seal 12.

FIG. 8 illustrates a sealing strip 34 of modified construction comprising a generally U-shaped portion including legs 36 and a hollow tubular base portion 38. It will be understood that a groove 40 in the U-shaped portion is coated with pressure sensitive adhesive material 42, (initially covered by a protective strip, not shown), and that the bottom of the groove 40 and the inner surface of the legs 36 are adhered to the upper edge and sides of the window glass 44. The remaining structure is similar to that shown in FIG. 7, and the corresponding parts have been identified by the same reference numerals. The hollow portion 38 of the sealing strip 34 greatly increases the yieldability of the seal for continuous, mutual contact with the sealing strip 32.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a sealing strip 46 similar to the sealing strip 12, self-adhered to the edge 48 of a car door 50. As will be seen from FIG. 11, sealing strip 46 has its inner side engaged with a panel 52 of the vehicle body. As used, the sealing strip 46 serves primarily as a protector for the edge of the door 50 when swung open and bumped against an adjacent vehicle or any other object. It also serves to keep out water.

FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention wherein a door glass-sealing strip 54 has a modified base portion 56 including an extended portion 58 that has surfaces 60 and 62 extending toward each other at right angles and connected by a rounded corner 64. The sealing strip 54 otherwise is generally U-shaped in transverse cross section and includes a pair of legs 66 defining with the base 56 a groove 68 coated with pressure sensitive adhesive 70 and overlaid with a protective paper 72. The groove 68 is about equal in depth to the vertical thickness of the base 56. The enlarged portion 58 provides additional material that can be displaced when engaged with a sealing molding strip in a door opening. The additional, displacable material 58, particularly adapts the sealing strip 54 for use with older vehicles equipped with a solid rubber molding strip which is initially difficult to penetrate, or becomes hardened with age. Of course, the sealing strip 54 can also be used with the relatively soft door opening molding sealing strip 32, if desired.

It will be understood that the door glass-sealing tapes or strips 12, 34 and 54, and the door opening molding strip 32 can be made of any suitable material, so long as the material possesses the necessary softness and resilience to maintain an airtight seal when the window glass is fully raised. For example, the sealing strips may be formed in an extrusion machine and be made from silicone rubber, foamed rubber, or any suitable soft plastic material. The important principle involved is that two resilient sealing members are urged into contact, and both are soft enough to yield to any irregularities in the other to maintain mutual and tight contact throughout the length of the sealing strips.

It will be understood that the several sealing strips 12, 32, 34, 46 and 54 can be sold in coil or reei form or precut to suitable lengths to facilitate rapid and mass application at auto manufacturing plants, or, alternatively, can be sold in smaller coils or in strip form for do it yourself" car owners, who are experiencing sealing problems with door glass.

It will be further understood that various materials may be used in manufacturing the several sealing strips disclosed herein and that the strips may take configuration other than specifically disclosed and still accomplish the desired results, without departing from the principles of the invention or scope of the annexed claims.

l claim:

I. A soft resilient sealing strip for mounting on the edge of an auto door, door glass, or the like, said strip being generally U-shaped configurations transverse cross section and having a thick base portion and relatively thin legs cooperating with said base portion to provide a generally rectangular groove, said base portion and legs being of substantially uniform density material throughout and being readily deformable and compressible to conform to irregularities in a surface to be sealed by engagement therewith, the inner surface of said groove having a pressure sensitive coating applied thereto; and a removable protective strip overlying said pressure sensitive coating.

2. A sealing strip as defined in claim 1, wherein the base portion of the U is substantially semicircular in cross section.

3. A sealing strip as defined in claim 1, wherein the base portion is defined in part by top and side surfaces at right angles to each other and joined by a rounded corner.

4. A sealing strip as defined in claim 1, wherein the U- shaped strip can be flattened so that the inner surface of the legs and bottom wall of the groove lie in a substantially common plane to enable the strip to be compactly wound on a reel or spool.

5. ln combination, in a motor vehicle having a door with glass and a door opening, a metallic channel member mounted in the door opening, a first strip of soft, resilient material mounted in said channel, said strip being narrower at its outer edge than at its inner edge; and a second soft, resilient sealing strip mounted upon the edge of the door glass, said second strip being generally U-shaped in transverse cross section and having a thick base portion for engagement with said first sealing strip, and having relatively thin legs cooperating with the base to provide a groove to receive the edge of the door glass, the inner surface of said groove having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating applied thereto for adhering said second sealing strip to the edge of the door glass, both of said strips being of substantially uniform density material throughout and being readily deformable and compressible so that upon engagement they can each conform with any surface irregularities in the other to form an air tight seal therebetween. 

1. A soft resilient sealing strip for mounting on the edge of an auto door, door glass, or the like, said strip being generally Ushaped configurations transverse cross section and having a thick base portion and relatively thin legs cooperating with said base portion to provide a generally rectangular groove, said base portion and legs being of substantially uniform density material throughout and being readily deformable and compressible to conform to irregularities in a surface to be sealed by engagement therewith, the inner surface of said groove having a pressure sensitive coating applied thereto; and a removable protective strip overlying said pressure sensitive coating.
 2. A sealing strip as defined in claim 1, wherein the base portion of the U is substantially semicircular in cross section.
 3. A sealing strip as defined in claim 1, wherein the base portion is defined in part by top and side surfaces at right angles to each other and joined by a rounded corner.
 4. A sealing strip as defined in claim 1, wherein the U-shaped strip can be flattened so that the inner surface of the legs and bottom wall of the groove lie in a substantially common plane to enable the strip to be compactly wound on a reel or spool.
 5. In combination, in a motor vehicle having a door with glass and a door opening, a metallic channel member mounted in the door opening, a first strip of soft, resilient material mounted in said channel, said strip being narrower at its outer edge than at its inner edge; and a second soft, resilient sealing strip mounted upon the edge of the door glass, said second strip being generally U-shaped in transverse cross section and having a thick base portion for engagement with said first sealing strip, and having relatively thin legs cooperating with the base to provide a groove to receive the edge of the door glass, the inner surface of said groove having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating applied thereto for adhering said second sealing strip to the edge of the door glass, both of said strips being of substantially uniform density material throughout and being readily deformable and compressible so that upon engagement they can each conform with any surface irregularities in the other to form an air tight seal therebetween. 